Chapter One
The Serpent Clan
The
scent of the early spring was hinted with the settle breeze that filled the
little town of Joven. The trees and the plants blossomed with new life as the
icy fingers of winter retracted and the melted snow flowed into the Joven
River. Farmers tended their fields with the sun shining brightly above
them. It was early March and all of the
farmers were looking forward to a flourishing season. Soon the elves from down
the river would arrive for trade as they always did at this time of year.
Glen was the only blacksmith in the
city so he and his two sons worked on repairing the broken tools for the
farmers. His bright eyes quickly glanced at the tool in front of him as he
worked. His forge was always kept hot
with the steady flow of work that always came his way this time of year. His
sons were eleven and nine years old and watched intently as instructed them
with every blow of his hammer on the tools. He finished the tool he was working
on and placed it in the barrel of water. He looked at his sons and smiled, “Hawkasuma
you are eleven years old now and ready to be shown the way to be a man. I think
it’s about time I showed you how to forge a sword.”
His
oldest son grinned from ear to ear and nodded.
Hawkasuma practically jumped up and danced at the opportunity. Glen
patted his son on the head and plunged the iron ore into the forge to begin
removing the impurities.
“Me too right dad?” asked his
youngest son Dakisuma jealous of his older brother. Glen smiled and beckoned his son over to his
side with his hand. Dakisuma ran to his
father’s side and watched intently.
Glen pulled the iron out of the
flame when it was white hot and placed it upon his anvil and began to fold the
iron. “Have I told you boys the riddle of steel and the man’s heart yet?” Both of his boys shook their heads. As he continued to fold the iron into a sword
he began to tell his sons what his own father had told him when he was a young
boy. “Once iron is pulled from the earth it has no shape, no purpose and no
master. It is corrupted and must be placed in the forge to remove the
impurities, much like a man must first become pure of heart. Then the hammer
folds the metal, each fold becomes a lesson that the blade learns. It teaches
the iron how to be a sword and to have purpose. Each sword must be soft on the
inside so that it will not shatter in battle when its master needs it the most.
It must also be strong on the outside so that will keep its shape.” Glen placed the iron back into the fire as it
cooled so that he could keep folding the iron into the blade he wanted and then
placed it back on his anvil once it was hot enough again. “The hammer is like a trail that a man faces
in his life as a boy. It gives him
shape, teaches him to be good and kind to those around him. And much like the
blade must be strong on the outside so must a man keep his body.”
His sons listened intently to their
father. Glen handed Hawkasuma the hammer
and allowed him to fold the blade several times. They worked on the blade until it was nearly
finished and then Glen took the blade and began to sharpen it. They had forged
a short sword with a blade about three feet long and sharpened it on both
sides. He then bound the handle with
leather and handed it to his son. “This
sword belongs to you, my son. Tomorrow I will teach you how to use it.”
Hawkasuma held the sword in his
hand. It was heavy for him so he struggled to keep it above his waist. He
examined it closely. “Thanks dad.”
“Remember to keep it sharp. A sword
is a powerful tool and must be treated with respect. Never draw your sword
unless you intend to use it.”
Hawkasuma nodded and put his sword
in a scabbard and placed it on his back. Dakisuma looked at his father and
asked, “When do I get to make one dad?”
Glen
placed his hand on his youngest son’s shoulder and smiled. “My son, once you
are your brother’s age and you are ready to begin learning how to wield a
weapon.” Dakisuma grumbled a disagreement underneath his breath, but his father
ignored the remark. “Now run along home you two, your mother will need your
help at home.” His sons did as he asked
and left quickly while he closed his shop. The sun was now beginning to set
beneath the mountains to the west and the cool breeze of the nearing night began
to bring a slight chill. Glen stretched out his sore muscles and slowly began
to walk back to his home. His home was
not far from his shop. It sat upon the top of the hill and had a clear view of
the river and the surrounding parts of the town. He walked along the dirt path
and listened to the birds as they sang to each other. At home his sons were helping their mother set
the table for supper.
Meredith,
his beautiful blonde wife kissed him as he entered the door. In his eyes her
beauty surpassed that of any other. They had met many years ago when her when
her clan was immigrating from across the eastern sea. She had never told Glen
why her clan came to the Island of Kronord, merely that it was no longer
important. They had met when Glen was helping his friend deliver his goods and
wares to the Dardik port three days after her arrival on the island. They met
several times that week and fell in love, shortly after that they got married
and she said her final farewell to the clan. Since then Glen has helped her
adapt to the new culture and even named their children in the manner of her
clan’s custom. The oldest son was named after the great warrior Hawkasuma who
had saved the clan in great battles. The youngest son was named Dakisuma after
her father. Glen and his family sat
together at the table and enjoyed their supper and afterwards they went to
their beds and slept.
As Glen
lay dreaming he smelt the presence of smoke in the air and opened his eyes.
What he saw struck terror into his heart. The room, usually lit by moonlight or
starlight, was black as pitch with the smoke that slowly chocked him. He shook
Meredith, but she too was awake and aware of the fire. They jumped out of their
bed and ran to their children. Glen
shook Hawkasuma awake, threw Dakisuma onto his shoulder and ran out of the
house.
Outside
three men in dark clothes were waiting for them. They held swords and axes and laughed as the
family looked at them in confusion and horror. Without saying a word the men
approached them slowly. Glen Knew who these men were, he had heard rumors of
their existence. These men were members of a group of bandits that called
themselves the Serpents. In the light of the fire that consumed their home he
could see the symbol of a white serpent on their chests. The serpents are known
for destroying villages and taking the young away, never to be seen again while
leaving their parents as rotting corpses.
Glen’s heart jumped into his throat, he was unarmed and their blades
shone brightly in the light of the fire.
He handed his son Dakisuma to Meredith and told her, “Take our sons to
the river. Seek refuge with the Koosha clan down the river.” Meredith protested
with her eyes, but Glen urged her to go. She took the children and ran as Glen
told her.
“A feeble
attempt, but a noble one,” Said one of the three bandits. He raised his sword
and prepared to strike down Glen. Glen was faster than the bandit and caught
his hands as he swung his blade. Glen’s
muscles were tough so he easily tore the weapon from the bandit’s grip and
buried it into his belly. The bandit fell to the ground dead. His allies stood
in shock and exchanged glances with each other before charging at Glen. The bandits
swung their weapons furiously forcing Glen to jump backwards or be killed. Glen
tightened his grip on his sword and moved in for a counter attack. Glen slashed
open the chest of one of the bandits leaving the other to watch as his friend
bleed to death.
Glen
felt the sweat pouring from his body as he looked into the eyes of the last of
the three bandits. His hands shook as he readied his blade for his next attack.
The bandit took a few steps back and reached for a horn on his side. He blasted
three times quickly, signaling for help. In the distance Glen could see five
more bandits running to help their ally, behind them lay the rest of the town
which had erupted into flames. Screams echoed through the air telling Glen that
he would receive no help in this fight. Glen charged the bandit and buried his
blade into the bandit’s chest. As blood
seeped from the body Glen twisted the blade forcing him to die quicker.
Glen
pushed the body off of the blade with his foot and turned to see the other
bandits running at him. Glen cursed and quickly looked over his shoulder for
his family. They were about a fourth of the way to the river. They were easy
for him to see so he knew the bandits would be able to see them as well. The
only thing he could do to help his family escape would be to try and stall the
bandits for more time.
He
turned and faced the approaching bandits and screamed at them, “You want some
to? Come and try to slay me. Let me introduce you to the afterlife!” The bandits closed in on him with their
weapons at the ready. Glen killed the first one by dodging his strike and
countering with his blade. The second landed an attack on his leg which brought
Glen to his knee. Then Glen returned the favor by grabbing the bandit’s sword
and killing him with his own weapon.
Glen threw the second sword into the third bandit. The fourth bandit
slashed Glen’s chest open. Glen fell upon his hands and knees gasping for
breath as the pain consumed him.
Glen
knew that he had lost. As he drew his final breath he hoped that his family
would be safe without him. The last bandit raised his axe and placed it upon
the back of Glen’s neck. He felt the ice cold steel being tested on his neck
and chuckled softly. With his last breath he uttered, “I hope you suffer for
the pain you caused this day.” The bandit swung his axe and Glen was no
more. The bandits scanned the area and found
the two boys and their mother running toward the river.
Hawkasuma
stopped to look over his shoulder and saw his father fall to the ground.
Meredith saw the horror in her son’s eyes and felt her heart break, but she
urged him to keep moving. With tears in his eyes Hawkasuma ran to the river as
fast as his legs would carry him. Dakisuma looked over his mother’s shoulder,
as she was still carrying him, and saw the bandits approaching at a rapid pace.
Dakisuma told his mother what he saw and gripped her tightly and buried his
face in her.
They
kept running with the bandits closing on their heels. Hawkasuma reached the
river and dove into the cold water, but Meredith was not as lucky. The bandits
caught up with her and tackled her to the ground. She landed upon Dakisuma and
pinned him to the ground. She wrestled with the bandit and was able to grab a
knife from his belt. She stabbed the bandit once in the leg and then three
times in the chest before he died. The other bandit avenged his ally and killed
Meredith with his sword.
Dakisuma
felt his mother’s body go limp. Dakisuma screamed as tears flowed down his
face. The bandit tried to pick Dakisuma up, but he wouldn’t release his
mother’s dead body so the bandit had to pry him loose. Dakisuma kicked and
screamed, “Brother help me!”
Hawkasuma
watched helplessly from the water as his brother was knocked unconscious and
carried away. He wanted to swim back, but the tide was too strong and he
quickly found himself struggling to keep his head above the water. As his body
followed the current, his mind remained with the burning village as he watched
the orange glow from the flames consume all that he once knew and loved. For hours he fought the water, barely keeping
his head above the tide. His arms became weak and his eyes felt heavy. The sun
began to rise on the horizon and Hawkasuma finally found some rest when he
pulled himself upon a rock. He closed his eyes and knew no more for a long
time.
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